Rolling Review – Irozuku (05)

Episode Synopsis:

Now that Kohaku has integrated herself into the (Magic) Photography Club, it’s time for a relaxing team dinner. Hitomi wants to show her appreciation to Aoi for his support, and begins applying herself to improving her magic so that she can make him a gift. We also learn that Asagi has been hiding her own feelings, and Hitomi’s newfound focus has left her feeling somewhat bitter.

Review:

Episode five of Irozuku is difficult to write about, simply because so little actually transpires in it. It’s pretty much entirely about friends gathering for a meal and two girls trying to express themselves to the people they care about. That said, it also feels very genuine and helps push our characters along as they grow and mature.

For the first couple episodes, I was not a big fan of Hitomi. I can’t fault her for feeling depressed about her condition, or confused by the past, but she came off as mopey and self-pitying. Recently, she’s been putting forth much more effort to improve her skills, and I like the way she’s coming out of her shell.

We even see a genuine smile!

Much of this can be credited to support from Kohaku, who pushes Hitomi to find her own strength. Her meddling is fun and lighthearted, and my initial fears about her outsized personality dwarfing the rest of the cast were largely unfounded. She adds a lot of life to the show and keeps things interesting.

For the most part, the show looks as good as ever. Magic has warmth and charm, and the backgrounds are detailed enough to get lost in. Unfortunately, this clashes with some seriously messed up character art at times, and this episode has a lot of janky faces.

In such a slow-moving show where the visuals are a large part of the appeal, these kinds of issues are difficult to ignore. Hopefully the consistency improves as the show continues.

Summary:

This latest episode of Irozuku was probably the calmest and most uneventful yet. In spite of that, we got to see some nice growth from Hitomi, and spent a fun little time with the Magic Photography Club. Despite some visual hiccups, the show continues to be a pretty, charming and soothing experience. It’s a welcome contrast to more action-oriented fare, though how compelling you find it will be a matter of personal preference.